High voltage solid-state switches, such as the gated diode switch (GDS) and the thyristor which are both essentially p-i-n diodes, when in the on and conducting state, are characterized by dual carrier injection and typically use a shield region around the n cathode in order to increase the operating voltage range. Typically, the anode and cathode region of the GDS has a rectangular shape, as does the shield region surrounding the cathode. The on resistance of the gated diode switch, though relatively low, is still not as low as is desirable in some applications. One contributing cause to the on resistance of the GDS is that the emitting efficiency of the cathode is significantly below that of the anode because of the shield region.
It is desirable to have solid-state switches, such as the GDS, which have reduced on resistance as compared to the conventionally described GDS's.